In our affordable housing community, it is nearly impossible to announce anything that is not already known. This “announcement” is no exception, so please consider these words more as a beacon call to each of you to join all of us at Wesley Housing Development Corporation in bidding farewell to Al Smuzynski as both Al and the organization enter a period of transition and change. Al will be retiring this fall.
Al has served as Wesley Housing’s President/CEO since 1998, following his retirement from a 29-year career as a bank and savings and loan regulator for the federal government. He served for ten years on the Board of Directors prior to taking the helm at Wesley Housing. Al guided the organization from a grassroots entity founded with Virginia Peters’ heart and passion into a leading housing developer with a reputation for building and managing quality rental communities and a portfolio valued at more than $175 million. In short, Al helped make Wesley Housing one of Northern Virginia’s “go-to, can-do” nonprofit affordable housing developers.
Under Al’s leadership, Wesley Housing was named 2006 Developer of the Year by the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) and was recognized by Leadership Fairfax, Inc. with its Regional Leadership Award. Wesley Housing’s newly constructed Coppermine Place I—a multi-jurisdictional, fully accessible apartment community for disabled individuals—received the Coalition for Housing Opportunities in the Community for Everyone, Inc.’s (CHOICE) first Accessible Design Award; HAND named the community the 2007 Best Project in Northern Virginia. For these achievements and many others, the Virginia Housing Coalition recently inducted Al into the newly created Affordable Housing Hall of Fame. Indeed, this is a fitting tribute to a tireless advocate for affordable housing.
Al’s calm head and firm leadership have led Wesley Housing’s efforts to sustain quality communities and provide service-enriched housing to strengthen families and build vibrant neighborhoods. Since 1974, Wesley Housing has purchased and/or developed 21 affordable rental communities—with 10 of them acquired or built during Al’s tenure. Most importantly, these efforts have provided more than 14,000 low- and moderate-income children, adults, seniors, and disabled individuals with the dignity and security of a place to call home.
Of course, Al has been more than the driving force behind Wesley Housing.
For the entire Washington metropolitan region, Al has been a vanguard advocate, a visionary, an innovator, and a guide to the uninitiated. Al has been involved with affordable housing issues in Northern Virginia for nearly 30 years, beginning in 1982 as a Commissioner on the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Throughout the years, Al has served on innumerable advisory and advocacy boards in the Commonwealth and the region. His work with the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance led to the creation of additional funding sources for affordable housing at the local level.
With his newfound free time, Al’s main focus will be avoiding trees as he carves a trail down the black diamond slopes out west. His second passion—skiing—will be the focus of Al’s “Act II.” Thankfully, Al will remain engaged with affordable housing and is supporting efforts for innovative community banking in the metro region. Naturally, Al’s departure also ushers in a time of change for Wesley Housing.
I can relate with great confidence that Wesley Housing has gone to painstaking measures to prepare for this transition. Al generously gave us two years notice of his retirement—allowing the organization ample time to plan for its next phase. Our work is well underway. With support from the Meyer Foundation’s Management Assistance Program, we have completed a survey of our stakeholders, an organizational assessment, and a strategic planning review. I thank our phenomenal staff, our Board of Directors, and many of you who have assisted with these planning efforts, thus far.
Please join me in conveying to Al heartfelt thanks as well as wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.
Farewell, Al. You will be missed.
Sincerely,
Erik T. Hoffman
Chairman, Board of Directors
Wesley Housing Development Corporation